The present invention relates to a freestanding furniture system for offices and the like, and in particular to a freestanding furniture unit with wire management capabilities.
Modern offices are becoming increasingly complicated and sophisticated due largely to the ever increasing needs of the users for improved utility support at each workstation, such as communications, computers and other types of data processors, electronic displays, etc. For example, modern offices for high "knowledge workers" such as engineers, accountants, stock brokers, computer programmers, etc., are typically provided with multiple pieces of very specialized computer and communications equipment that are capable of processing information from numerous local and remote data sources to assist in solving complex problems. Such equipment has very stringent power and signal requirements, and must quickly and efficiently interface with related equipment at both adjacent and remote locations. One important consequence of the advent of sophisticated electronic offices is the increased need and desirability for distributing utilities such as data and power lines throughout the various offices in a manner which can be readily reconfigured.
One arrangement commonly used for furnishing open plans includes movable partition panels that are detachably interconnected to partition off the open spaces into individual workstations and/or offices. Another arrangement for dividing and/or partitioning open plans includes modular furniture arrangements, and which a plurality of differently shaped, freestanding furniture units are positioned in a side-by-side relationship, with upstanding privacy screens attached to at least some of the furniture units to create individual, distinct workstations and/or offices. In order to insure peak efficiency, the workstation must be equipped with the various state-of-the-art utilities and facilities discussed above.
In view of the increasing need to provide power and data utilities and the like to individual workstations, the management of such utilities at the individual workstations has become an important factor in furnishing modern office spaces.